Flagstaff finishes first half with Saskatoon split
Heading into the All-Star Break, the Flagstaff Outlaws completed their 2018 interleague schedule by taking two games from the Saskatoon Sasquatch. The split gave the Outlaws an 11-5 interleague record and a 57-win first half, the best in franchise history.
Game 1: McCullers v. Ramirez – The first two times the Outlaws struck, the Saskatoon Sasquatch struck back.
Aaron Judge clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning to give Flagstaff a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Lance McCullers helped his case with a two-run single of his own to tie the game in the top of the 2nd. Judge hooked a solo HR around the left field foul pole in the third and Joe Mauer followed with his own solo HR in the fourth.
But it was a five-run fifth that broke this game open for Saskatoon. With J.C. Ramirez giving up a pair of singles to start the frame, Nelson Cruz drove them both homer with a three-run homer. Brandon Drury would add a two-run shot four batters later to give the Sasquatch an 8-3 advantage.
Once again, Flagstaff would try and crawl back with a two-run fifth behind RBIs from Paul Goldschmidt and Judge, but Saskatoon answered right back in the seventh with a Jake Lamb two-run bomb. Saskatoon 10, Flagstaff 5.
W: McCullers (6-2)
L: Ramirez (5-2)
Sv: None
HRs: SKS – Mauer (7), Cruz (17), Drury (5), Lamb (9); FLG – Judge (20, 21).
Game 2: Ross v. Sale – Chris Sale won his 12th game of the season behind another six inning, 11 strikeout effort that saw him allow just four hits and no walks. The only blemish was a two-run homer to Willy Garcia.
However, Joe Ross was no up to the challenge as he gave up 12 hits over four innings, resulting in eight runs. From there, Flagstaff beat up on the Saskatoon bullpen, scoring seven more times and giving Flagstaff a 15-2 laugher.
Every batter for Flagstaff had a hit, outside of Goldschmidt, while Joe Panik and Daniel Nava had four hits each. Lane Adams came off the bench to give George Springer a rest and clubbed a pair of homers that plated four runs.
W: Sale (12-3)
L: Ross (0-2)
Sv: None
HRs: SKS – Garcia (2); FLG – Adams (3,4).
Game 3: Greinke v. Carrasco – The series moved to Saskatoon and Flagstaff took an early lead in the fourth when Caleb Joseph singled in a run.
A tiring Zack Grienke gets into trouble in the sixth, giving up RBIs to Mauer, Drury and Billy Hamilton before getting a 3-2-3 bases loaded double play to end the rally.
Flagstaff was able to get those runs right back in the next half inning behind RBIs from Elvis Andrus, Panik and Goldy.
The Flagstaff bullpen gets the ball to Blake Parker in the ninth, but Parker has an uncharacteristic breakdown. A lead off single to T.J. Rivera starts it off. A one-out walk to Cruz moves Rivera up. Lamb singles a ball to left, but Enrique Hernandez manages to cut Rivera down at the plate, and Cruz gets to third. Mauer follows with a single up the middle, to score Cruz and send the game to extras.
Both bullpens are blown out by the 12th inning when starters Kenta Maeda and Michael Wacha have to make appearances. Maeda gives three innings of perfect relief while Wacha allows a walk-off bomb to Carlos Correa in the 13th inning to give the Sasquatch a 6-4 victory.
W: Maeda (6-3)
L: Wacha (6-2)
Sv: None
HRs: FLG – none; SKS – Correa (13).
Game 4: Wood v. Darvish – Needing both starters to work deep in this one, Alex Wood gets through six, allowing a lone run on back-to-back doubles to Mauer and Robbie Grossman in the fourth that gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead.
Yu Darvish holds Flagstaff scoreless through six, but it’s the seventh where we was pushed past his limit. After getting the first one, a walk to Wood and single by Andrus sets the Outlaws up with runners on the corners. Andrus steals second to take away the double play. George Springer flies out to right, but it’s deep enough that Wood can score the tying run. Then Panik doubles in Andrus and Flagstaff takes a 2-1 lead.
It stays that way into the ninth when Springer who add on with a 2-run homer to push the lead to 4-1. Blake Parker is too tired to go, after pitching three innings the previous game, so Jake McGee earns his second save of the season, working around a walk. Flagstaff splits, 4-1.
W: Wood (9-1)
L: Darvish (1-5)
Sv: McGee (2)
HRs: FLG – Springer (22); SKS – none.